


Say Don't Go

by YuuTama



Series: Flowers [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Consensual Underage Sex, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Implied Sexual Content, One-sided Satori/OC, Romance, Sexual Content, Smoking, Underage Sex, Underage Smoking, Volleyball Dorks & Nerds, Volleyball Dorks in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuuTama/pseuds/YuuTama
Summary: There are three important women in a man's life: his mother, his wife, and the one who took his virginity. When the one who took his virginity came back to Miyagi, a sentimental man like Ukai Keishin was sure to get wrapped up in her fingers again. But really, the same could be said about her.This is a spin-off of my other fic 'The Marigold Rises with the Sun.'
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Original Female Character(s), Tendou Satori/Original Female Character(s), Ukai Keishin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Flowers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774855
Comments: 14
Kudos: 42





	1. The Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new Ukai x OC story! I would like to give a quick warning that there will be sexual content in this fic. It's my first time writing and posting a fic with mature content, so please be easy on me and let me know what I can improve on! This story is set directly after another fic of mine, "The Marigold Rises with the Sun." Here's a little introduction of characters if you have not read my other fic, or you can skip to the story since I'll try to mention these in the story!
> 
> Oniwa Akari: Eldest sister of the Oniwa siblings. Graduated from Karasuno High School and moved to Tokyo to pursue her and her late mother's dream of becoming a doctor.
> 
> Oniwa Karin: Akari's younger sister. Currently a third year student at Karasuno and member of the Girls Volleyball Club. Occasionally works part time at the Sakanoshita Store. Currently dating Azumane Asahi. Nicknamed 'Karin the Demon' due to her unnaturally powerful hits and also a play on her name.
> 
> Mr. Oniwa: Father of the Oniwa sisters. Construction worker. Has had a bad temper ever since the death of his wife. From time to time shows his affection towards his daughters when he's had too much beer.
> 
> That's it! I hope you enjoy the story!

Spring was a magnificent time to be in Miyagi. With its plush nature and climate, some of the best cherry blossoms in the country could be seen here. That was the first thing that Oniwa Akari realized that she missed when she got off the bus early in the morning. Akari took the overnight bus from Tokyo to Miyagi—a seven hour bus ride. Her legs felt stiff and sore after the long hours of sitting, and she wobbled a bit as she stepped on the concrete floor in her high heels.

While originally born in Miyagi, Akari had been living in Tokyo for the past eight years. Having graduated at the top of her class from Karasuno High School, she became the first student there to get into Tokyo Medical University. The entire school was proud of her and she left as sort of a legendary figure. However, with every great success came with some amount of pride. And for Akari, it was a lot of pride. She was going to prove to everyone in her hometown—her schoolmates, her teachers, her father—that she was going to make it in the city on her own. So for eight years in college and medical school, she seldom visited her hometown, and only did so if she'd won an award.

Even until now, when she was finally back in Miyagi, she stubbornly kept it a secret from her acquaintances. So where was she supposed to go so early in the morning if she was trying to keep her presence in Miyagi on the down low? She already had it planned out. She was going to surprise her little sister, Oniwa Karin, who was currently working at the Sakanoshita Store as a part timer, who was also the only person she didn't need to save face in front of.

And of course, surprising the store owner was an added bonus. They had a very special relationship back in high school, after all.

* * *

At the beginning of Spring of 2012, Ukai Keishin got tricked into coaching the Karasuno High School Boys Volleyball Club. He had resisted for as long as he could until the news of a practice match between Nekoma High School broke him. Since then he's been staying on as coach, and he would never say it out loud, but he was really enjoying it. He enjoyed it so much that he'd been opening up his shop earlier in the day to make up for the time he's gon to help the volleyball practice.

It was only during the early morning did he appreciate the existence of his part timer, Oniwa Karin, who otherwise was way too sarcastic of a brat for his liking. He would have never let her work at his shop if she didn't use his past relationship with her older sister against him.

Ukai yawned in his leaned back position behind the store counter as his mind wandered off to the eldest of the Oniwa sisters. He'd met her when he was only a freshman in high school and she was a second year. Technically, they've only known each other for one and a half school year. But they got well acquainted in a short time. More than acquainted.

But it has been eight years since she left after graduating and he'd seen her maybe once or twice. If he were a logical person, she probably shouldn't still influence him so much nowadays. But not many people could really forget about their first.

Especially if their first was someone as perfect as Oniwa Akari.

"Mornin', Keishin~"

_Yes, even her voice was perfect. Feminine, smooth like honey, and just a bit eroti—_

Ukai shot up from his chair and it nearly fell over from his abrupt movement. His eyes and mouth opened wide at the woman in front of him. Eight years later and she still looked as great as she did at seventeen, but much sexier now with her black hair that grazed her collarbones and her high heels with straps that wrapped around her thin ankles.

"S-Senpai?" Ukai would not have wanted his first word to her in years to come out as a stutter, but he was still recovering from shock.

Oniwa Akari responded to him with a pretty frown. "Don't call me senpai! That makes me feel old! We're not in school anymore, you know?"

"Uh…" Ukai contemplated whether to call her Oniwa or Akari, but none of them felt right. He regained his usual, rough demeanor and ignored that decision for now.

"What are you doing here?"

"How cold! Aren't you going to say that you've missed me?"

"I have not."

He didn't always think about her, even though he did just now. But she didn't need to know that.

Akari grinned, not minding Ukai's unfriendliness.

"I wanted to surprise Karin! She told me she's working here part time."

"Oh," Ukai almost forgot that Karin was here after Akari's shocking appearance. "She's taking inventory in the storage room."

"Ooh! Sounds like the perfect place for a jump scare, don't you think?" Akari clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Whatever, just don't be loud," said Ukai as he stepped out from behind the counter to lead Akari to the storage room in the back.

As they walked towards the storage room, Ukai realized that Karin had been in there for quite some time. He'd gotten to know her as a huge slacker, so he was ready to scold her whether or not her older sister was present.

"Ah, um, Karin, I don't think this is a good idea…"

Ukai and Akari paused their advances at the sound of a boy's raspy voice coming from the storage room. One that Ukai was very familiar with as of late, except the only times he'd hear it with such quick, short breaths were after a long volleyball practice.

"Don't worry, Asahi. When Ukai starts dozing off in the morning, he doesn't wake up for at least half an hour."

Both of the adults' bodies tensed up as they heard a young girl's voice they were both familiar with. Ukai didn't need to turn around to see Akari's now-sadistic smile, especially now that muffled lip smacking sounds could be heard from the storage room.

"W-wait, Karin, I…"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Ukai burst into the room with a face full of panic, fury, and embarrassment all mixed together. He wished that he could unsee what he'd seen in the dark storage room. Azumane Asahi, the Ace of the Karasuno volleyball team, had Oniwa Karin, his part timer and Akari's precious sister, pushed up against a wall. The latter was much shorter than the former, so she was basically climbing him like a koala.

He'd known that the volleyball team ace and Oniwa Karin had started dating, but he didn't expect them to be doing weird stuff in his store.

"Waahhh! I'm sorry!" Azumane was the first to break. His face was bright red after getting caught and he jumped three feet away from Karin.

"Hm?" Karin was the one who's calm about it. "Nee-san?"

"Shit!" Ukai was so shocked that he forgot about Akari's presence.

The older sister walked into the storage with darkened eyes and a contorted face. She proceeded to go in front of Azumane and grabbed the boy's uniform collar. She forcefully brought the boy's face to her eye level.

"You must have a death wish," Akari said dangerously. "Haven't you heard of what they do to child molesters in prison?"

"Ch-ch-child molester?" Azumane looked as if he was about foam at the mouth.

"Wait, Nee-san!" Karin intervened. "That's Asahi! Besides, we were just making out!"

"I don't think those are the points!" Ukai barked.

Akari looked at Karin and back at Azumane, and then let go of the boy's collar. A pleasant smile bloomed over her face once again.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Akari said as she patted Azumane's shoulder lightly. "But, hey, Asahi, you sure grew a lot! Last time I saw you, you were shorter than Karin! Are you over 180 cm tall?"

"...184, ma'am…" Azumane answered weakly.

"Nice one, Karin!" Akari sent a thumbs up at her younger sister, who returned a thumbs up casually.

"...There's something wrong with all of you," Ukai put his hand over his throbbing temple and muttered. "You! Azumane! Why aren't you at morning practice?"

"Eh? I-I-I got Karin's text… she said there was an e-emergency…"

Ukai let out a long sigh. He wasn't sure how he was going to face this boy later at evening practice, but he would have to worry about that when the time comes.

"Just get out! Both of you!"

"Y-yes!" Azumane scurried out of the storage room, followed by Karin.

Akari watched in amusement as Ukai walked across the storage with a scowl and retrieved a bottle of disinfectant spray. She nearly laughed out loud when he started to spray the spot that Azumane and Karin were engaged in the passionate kiss.

"Aren't you overreacting a little?" she asked while stifling her laughter.

"Aren't you underreacting?!" Ukai snapped back at her. "That's your baby sister!"

"I mean, they _were_ just making out. And he seems harmless," Akari shrugged. "Unless you're saying I shouldn't trust him."

"No, he's an honest guy. If anything, your sister is the bad influence."

"I guess it runs in the family~" Akari chirped.

"...You're the worst."

"Relax, Keishin," Akari approached the man and massaged his shoulders, sending chills down his spine. "We've done it in all kinds of places back in the days, so who are we to judge?"

Ukai jerked around at this, completely red in the face. He knew she was going to bring that up sooner or later. The two of them used to tell only their closest friends that they were dating, but more accurately, they were sex buddies. To better illustrate their past relationship, Oniwa Akari, the second year straight A student, came on to the freshman Ukai Keishin, and tricked him into losing his virginity to her. Well, it wasn't completely a trick, because plenty of high school boys would be excited to lose their virginity, let alone to a beautiful upperclassman.

While Ukai knew at the time that Akari was only taking advantage of him, he wasn't all that against it. He didn't brag about it either. The two of them mostly kept it quiet, but Akari would occasionally tease him and hint at things when they come across each other at school. He thought he'd been liberated from the teasing since she moved away.

"You're despicable," Ukai pushed Akari out of the storage room. "Can you leave now that you've surprised your sister? Also, what are you doing in Miyagi, anyway? Vacation?"

"Actually, I'm here for another thing," Akari grinned. "A favor. From you!"

A feeling of imminent doom fell on Ukai as he stared at Akari's grin. "...What?"

"My things are arriving tomorrow. Will you come help me lift the heavy stuff?"

"...What things?"

"All my things from Tokyo, of course!" Akari's voice raised in amusement as Ukai's face fell darker and darker. "I can't possibly move back here without any luggage!"

Ukai's jaws dropped and eyes went blank. His hands grabbed onto his long, blonde hair as he let out an inaudible scream. He felt as if the walls around his world were closing in on him, and the walls were Akari's gigantified hands. Just as he sunk deeper and deeper into darkness, Akari's normal-sized cold hands cupping his cheeks brought him back to reality.

"Silly Keishin! You don't have to overreact even if you're so happy about me moving back, hehe!"

Akari's wicked giggle echoed in Ukai's head. He couldn't believe that, eight years ago, this manipulative woman's giggle was so mesmerizing to him.

* * *

To be continued.


	2. Reunion

Akari woke up to the chirping of birds and, for a second, panicked about her whereabouts. Having lived in Tokyo for so long, it was weird not to wake up to a symphony of her cell phone alarm and passing cars. She checked her cell phone for the time and it was already ten o'clock. It has been a long while since she was able to sleep past six. She walked downstairs to the living room of her childhood home; it was quiet as both her father and sister had left for work and school.

After putting the coffee maker on brew, Akari went back upstairs to wash up. Since she woke up late, she only had thirty minutes before the courier showed up. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she heard the rapid ringing of the doorbell. She checked the time—she'd only been in there for ten minutes. She threw on some undergarments and a t-shirt and ran downstairs to open the door.

Ukai wished he wasn't standing so close to the door, but he was trying to look into the peep hole to see if anyone was home in the Oniwa house. How dare that woman ask him to help her and not answer the door for five minutes? But as he was suddenly face to face with a half dressed and very moist Akari, all of his annoyance turned into terror.

"Why aren't you wearing pants?!" Ukai moved as fast as lightning to push Akari back inside the house and slammed the door closed. "What if I was the courier?!"

Akari blinked her eyes at Ukai innocently while knowing exactly what she did. "One, you were ringing the doorbell so violently that I didn't have time to put pants on. Two, the Japanese courier system is never early or late, always right on time. And three…"

Ukai gulped as Akari leaned towards him, not realizing that his hands were still on the sides of her arms from pushing her earlier. Her lips curled up in a devilish smile; she knew that the combination of her damp hair brushing against her neck and her thin white t-shirt was his weakness, even after all these years.

"Are you saying that it's not okay for the courier to see me like this, but it's okay for you?"

With his face beet red, Ukai let go of Akari's arms, but not without a little shove.

"I thought living in Tokyo would have instilled some class in you, but clearly you've not changed one bit," Ukai grumbled as he kicked off his shoes and stepped inside the foyer.

"That's not true. My boobs have at least gotten a cup bigger."

Akari ran upstairs before Ukai could give her any more crap about her crudeness. She pulled on a pair of blue boyfriend jeans, blew dry her hair and went back downstairs. Just as she reached the bottom of the staircase, the doorbell rang again.

Before she reached the foyer, Ukai grabbed her attention with a "Hey!" A mug with steamy coffee was held out in front of her when she turned towards him. She took the mug carefully and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Just go sit there," Ukai tilted his head towards the living room couch and made his way out of the door to grab her boxes.

With no resistance Akari did just as Ukai suggested. She even turned on the TV to a variety show rerun from last night, and laughed loudly while Ukai carried numerous boxes up the stairs. Seeing as there was no reaction from Ukai, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of rice crackers and began to munch on it loudly while laughing at the TV.

"Why don't you choke already!?" Ukai's annoyed voice boomed from the staircase behind her and she snickered.

In a world that was constantly changing, it felt nice for Akari to know that some things didn't change all that much even after ten years. Ukai Keishin's irritability had always been one of her favorite things since they were in high school. While it might be an unbecoming trait to others, Akari found it endearing, especially if she was the one who caused him to snap. After all, Akari loved being in control.

* * *

Oniwa Akari was somewhat of a legend when she attended Karasuno High School. Her intelligence and grades were unparalleled. She had straight A's ever since she started going to school. She was always voted the class rep and in both middle school and high school, she became student council president when she was only in her second year. There was a rumor going around at the start of her freshman year at Karasuno that she was invited to attend Shiratorizawa, which was unprecedented. You had to be tested into Shiratorizawa. But fortunately for Karasuno, Akari chose to attend the school that was closer to her house.

Even with all of these achievements, it was not to say that Akari was a genius. She worked extremely hard to get to where she was. Between studying, student council and class rep duties, she worked tirelessly every waking hour, which was about twenty hours a day. To this day, some Karasuno alumni would say that everything about Oniwa Akari was perfect, except for the dark circles under her eyes, which weren't hard to conceal.

All of her efforts aside, Oniwa Akari was still just a teenager. Even she knew that it was a matter of time before she experienced what they call a 'burnout'. She needed distractions, things she could do to blow off steam. At age sixteen she'd found two things that effectively helped her destress—nicotine and sex—discovered in that order. Smoking cigarettes was easy and fast; she could buy them in a vending machine without getting caught by some neighborhood mom in a convenient store. Sex was just as easy and fast if you have the right partner, and Akari found that partner in Ukai Keishin.

Like many of their sexcapades back in the days, they were regulars at the student council's conference room in the evening, after Ukai was done with volleyball practice. Most students were out of school by that time. It was one of Akari's favorite locations since there was a couch in that conference room, though she also enjoyed other creative ways to have sex if they were in a bathroom stall or a locker room. Having keys to several rooms in the school building was one of the many advantages of Akari being the student council president.

"S-senpai! I think the basketball club isn't done with practice yet…"

The one usually panting and moaning was Ukai Keishin, who was not exactly a shy person, but any high school boy who had gone through puberty would be mind-blown if they were also watching the pretty student council president's head move up and down on their pelvis. Having her warm and wet sucking him off sometimes came second compared to the visual experience. Many times Ukai had to fight the urge to use his hands to push Akari's head down further. If looks could kill, it would be the look she gave him when he did that for the first time and accidentally came in her throat. She made him buy her meat buns for a whole week, and to this day, he wasn't sure why he said okay to that.

"If that bothers you, then why didn't you wait until they left before coming up here? You couldn't wait to get your dick sucked, could you?"

Akari always had the perfect response to Ukai's insincere protests to what they were doing. But at the time, everything that came out of Akari's lips was perfect for Ukai. Especially when they were glistening and red after repeatedly rubbing against his erection.

And she knew it, too. She knew the effect she had on the cute little freshman. She loved it. She loved being in control and sex with him gave her so much of it. She loved it so much that, little did she know, she became a little bit dependent on it, much like the nicotine.

* * *

"I didn't sign up for this."

Ukai, red in the face, kicked a box full of bras and panties towards Akari. He was done helping Akari bring in her boxes to the second floor bedroom an hour ago, but somehow he was convinced to stay and help her unpack. He couldn't believe how much stuff the woman had brought from Tokyo; and here he thought that apartments in Tokyo were small.

"Come on, be a gentleman," Akari pulled the abused box towards her and started putting the intimates in a drawer. "Your mom is watching the store, right?"

"Yeah, but what if I had other responsibilities? You just assumed that I cleared my day to help you?" Ukai complained, even though he, indeed, cleared his calendar for the day.

"Other responsibilities?" Akari questioned.

"I'm a coach for Karasuno High School's volleyball club now."

"You guys practice on Sundays, too?"

Ukai diverted his eyes from Akari's sharp ones. "No…"

Akari smiled wickedly at the younger man. "Coaching the volleyball club, huh? I guess you've come full circle. Is that what small town life is like?"

"Like you're any better," Ukai scoffed. "Why are you moving back here, anyway? When did you graduate med school?"

The curve of Akari's smile flattened slightly at Ukai's questions, but it recovered almost instantly. She pushed the drawers closed and got up to her feet. In a couple of steps she was in front of Ukai, who was still waiting for her answer with a raised eyebrow. Akari looked up at Ukai, who was only a few inches away from her, and smiled wickedly. Her junior has grown much taller since his freshman year of high school.

"How about we catch up over an early dinner?" Akari asked in her faintly raspy voice.

Ukai looked up at the clock and he was surprised to see that it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Time really flew by when he slaved away for the queen of manipulation. Although he'd rather not literally spend his entire day with Akari, he felt that he also deserved a reward for the hard work he's done for her.

"It better be your treat," Ukai grumbled as he made his way out of her bedroom.

Akari would say that was an ungentlemanly thing to say, but she never saw him as a gentleman to begin with. In a way, she still saw him as the snappy teenager who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and a little bit too eager in bed.

The two of them walked together to a small neighborhood izakaya. The owner there made a fuss when she saw Akari, hugging her and saying how much she's grown. Apparently Akari's father frequented this izakaya after work at the construction company, and to Akari's embarrassment, had many a drunken night there. She was not at all happy about the fact that her father would shove photos of her and her sister in other guests' faces while he was drunk, because he wasn't half as loving to his daughters when he wasn't intoxicated. It could be said that that was the reason why Akari was never a big drinker, but she would have a beer socially here and there.

"So why did you decide to go back and coach for Karasuno?" Akari asked as a waitress set down two beers and a small dish of pickled vegetables in front of them.

Ukai thought about the question and a frown formed between his eyebrows. "Now that I think about it, I might have been tricked by the teacher in charge of the club."

Akari stifled a laugh. "Sounds like you're as gullible as ever. How were you tricked?"

"A practice match with Nekoma started it all," Ukai laid everything out in front of Akari. He explained the rivalry between Karasuno and Nekoma, which was something you wouldn't know unless you were in the volleyball club. Karasuno lost during that practice match, but it only pumped the boys up even more, which was a little infectious for Ukai. Plus, there were currently some interesting players in the club.

Akari stared at Ukai as he talked about the volleyball club; the faint excitement in his voice reminded her of their teenage years. Akari was never involved in club activities throughout her academic years, so she hardly understood the passion some of her schoolmates had towards their clubs. Nonetheless, it was somewhat comforting for her to know that Ukai's passion came to some kind of fruition.

"At first I resisted because I thought the nostalgia would be too much for me," a smile crept up to Ukai's lips as he talked about his new coaching work. "But now I've kind of embraced it. The team's going full throttle towards InterHigh now."

"I can see you've embraced that youthful energy," said Akari. "Is that why you've grown your hair out and dyed it blonde? To be hip while coaching the teenagers?"

"Sh-shut up!" Ukai grunted with his cheeks flushed.

"I much prefer the buzz cut back then," Akari continued ruthlessly. "This makes you look like a hoodlum who still hangs around their high school in their mid 20's."

"Hey!" Ukai fumed. "I thought we came here to talk about you, not to make fun of me!"

Akari leaned into the back of her seat and grabbed her glass of beer. Ukai followed suit and they shared a quiet moment to down almost the entire glass. Akari let out a big breath as she placed the glass back onto the table and looked at Ukai in the eyes.

"I dropped out."

If Akari had said she graduated early, Ukai would have easily believed her. She had always been annoyingly overachieving. But for her to casually say that she dropped out of medical school was something he never expected. It was her dream to become a doctor, so it wasn't like her to easily give up. No, it must not have been an easy decision for her. A myriad of thoughts rushed through Ukai's head, but he didn't know what to say to her.

"What happened?"

Ukai felt stupid as soon as he asked his question. Why pry into something she might already be upset about? Fortunately for him, Akari seemed not to be distressed by it.

"I guess I plateaued when I turned 20," Akari surmised. "And you can't exactly become a doctor by plateauing at 20."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Ukai said stiffly.

"No, really, I couldn't handle it," Akari further confessed. "The endless reading, research, papers, clinicals, and not to mention somehow keeping a sad few friendships alive, and working to pay the ridiculous rent to live in a studio apartment in Tokyo…"

"Wait, wait, work?" Ukai stopped Akari from lengthening her anxiety-inducing list. "Isn't your dad helping you?"

Akari tittered. "A construction worker's salary barely covers the tuition."

"What about scholarship?"

"Didn't qualify from second year onward," Akari shrugged. "My grades plummeted so they stopped giving me money. And if I took out any more loans I'd be paying it off for the rest of my life"

Ukai gaped at Akari; he still found it hard to believe. _The_ Oniwa Akari having bad grades? Impossible!

Then Ukai realized that this was what Akari was obsessed about whenever she came to him for sex during highschool-the burnout.

"You burnt out…" he muttered.

"I burnt out…" Akari breathed out a deep sigh. Ukai watched her slim shoulders rise and fall with her breath. He didn't realize it before; not only did her dark circles get worse, she also lost weight. He used to be so turned on by her collarbones, but now they're a little too pronounced. Okay, fine, they were still sexy.

"Can we add an order of tempura, please?" Ukai asked the waitress when she came by to serve their entrees, in which she gladly accepted.

Akari gleamed at Ukai's sullen face just from hearing about her struggles in the past few years. She didn't mean for their reunion to become a pity party for her.

"Don't give me that face!" Akari said and pinched Ukai's cheek. "For your information, I'm still doing better than you! I happen to have a job lined up!"

"Why'd you go for a comparison?!" Ukai swatted away Akari's hand and grumbled. "What job?"

"Well, when I decided to drop out, I figured that I needed a plan B," said Akari. "So I spent some time getting certified to be a school nurse. A high school around here happened to be hiring…"

Ukai narrowed his eyes at where Akari's story was going. "Don't tell me…"

"No, not your precious Karasuno," Akari smirked at Ukai, knowing what Ukai was thinking.

"What do you mean _my precious_ Karasuno?!"

Akari laughed at Ukai's blushing face; now that she's told her story, she felt as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She picked up the glass of beer and downed the rest in one go, then hollered for another glass. Ukai did the same. Glass after glass they talked about everything that went on between them throughout the years. Soon they were both tipsy. Seeing as Akari was not the heaviest drinker, Ukai asked for the check.

As promised, Akari handed out her credit card to the waitress without even looking at the bill. However, two minutes later, the waitress came back.

"I'm sorry, your card was declined…" the waitress said as she handed back the credit card to Akari.

"Um…" Akari stared at the credit card; if she wasn't already red from the beer, she would have gotten red from embarrassment. She fumbled through her wallet for a different card.

"Let me get it," Ukai said and took over the bill.

Akari watched as Ukai put a wad of cash onto the little tray in the waitress's hands. He didn't look at her after; he was helping her save face. She felt her body warm up. No, heat up. She was feeling uncomfortably hot. She stood up suddenly.

"I need some air," she said before scuttling out of the restaurant.

Ukai found her right outside the restaurant leaning against the streetlight, smoking a cigarette. Her red face has now faded into pink, but her eyes were still glazed over from the beer.

When Akari caught Ukai lingering around the restaurant's entrance, staring at her quietly, she smiled with her eyes curved in the shape of the moon. She wobbled in up to him and flung half of her weight drunkenly on his shoulder, her forehead rested perfectly in the nook of his neck. The scent of eucalyptus mint attacked Ukai's nostrils and he shuddered. Feeling self-conscious in front of the restaurant, he supported Akari's back with his hand and led her away in the direction of her home.

"Hey, Keishin."

Ukai tilted his head at Akari's call; her own head nodding like a leaf on his shoulder.

"You really spent the whole day with me."

"Yeah, and I didn't even get my free dinner," Ukai scoffed.

Akari lifted her head to look deep into Ukai's eyes. The mischief in her eyes made him shiver; he knew that look and it made him wonder if she had given that waitress a closed credit card purposefully to do this.

"Why don't I make it up to you?"

"Where?"

Ukai tried to make his voice sound peeved but Akari's smokey voice seemed to cloud his judgement. He couldn't believe that he was willingly stepping into her trap. Again.

"That storage room sounds like a good idea now, doesn't it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter! 
> 
> I've always liked when the guy calls the girl Senpai so I just can't not write a fic like this teheh.


	3. Firsts

Oniwa Akari looked around the campus of Shiratorizawa Academy and thought to herself that this high school had absolutely no business being so enormous. It was obnoxious, really. It took her half an hour just to find the principal's office, which for some bizarre reason was not in the main building. Akari was not a tardy person; she had always been great with time. Just because she didn't wake up thirty minutes early, it shouldn't have made her thirty minutes late. If anything, it was the school's fault.

When Akari finally found the principal's office, she could hear two men's voices inside, complaining. Knowing that her being late must have irritated them, she quickly knocked on the door and let herself in.

"Please excuse my tardiness," said Akari in her most professional voice.

"My, my, if it isn't Oniwa Akari in the flesh!" the principal said dramatically as he leaned back into his leather rolling chair.

Akari raised an eyebrow at the principal's smug expression. She thought she would have received some scolding for being late, but she hadn't expected mockery.

"...What?" was all Akari could manage to say.

"The legendary Oniwa Akari from Karasuno High School, I remember you!" the principal laced his fingers together under his chin as he leaned forward on his desk. "Ten years ago, all the schools from here to Sendai wanted you. I even personally extended an invitation for you to attend our school; other brats had to take an entrance exam to get in! But you… you ripped up that invitation in my face and went to Karasuno instead!"

"Excuse me, I did no such thing," Akari raised her hand. "I've never met you before until now."

"The principal tends to dramatize things…" the vice principal whispered from besides Akari, whom she only now noticed had been standing there the whole time.

"And now, she comes back like a bird flying south, begging for a job at the school she was fated to make her nest in…"

"Actually, Miyagi is north of Tokyo," Akari raised her hand again, this time with a wave.

"What was I, a principal with a grand heart, to do with a lost bird with broken wings?"

"You already gave me the job, sir."

"You listen and you listen well, Oniwa Akari!" the principal leaned even closer to Akari across the desk. "Just because I favored you back then doesn't mean I will favor you now! You are like any other staff here and I have power over you!"

"Sounds good to me," Akari gave the principal her signature grin.

"Now get to work!"

"Um… can you direct me to the infirmary?"

* * *

Akari plopped down on one of the plush beds in the infirmary and stretched out her limbs. The infirmary beds at Shiratorizawa Academy were way better than her fifteen year old mattress at home. She made a mental note to buy a new mattress when she gets her first paycheck, and went on her cell phone to read the news.

She wouldn't deny that she chose to work as a school nurse because she remembered how empty the infirmary always was back when she was in high school. She remembered well; there had been many fond memories in the infirmary for her and Ukai Keishin. Just like one from last night.

Akari dropped her phone next to her pillow and closed her eyes, remembering the previous night. Ukai Keishin was as eager now as he was as a teenager, but now with more confidence and new tricks up his sleeve.

Last night, Akari couldn't help but cry out with pleasure when he'd pushed her up against the storage room wall, lifted one of her legs in his still muscular arm, and thrusted into her like he was going to meld her into the wall. She'd also decided that she liked his new hair after all, since she could now grab onto it. And the low grunt he made when she did turned her on like a switch.

"Excuse me—"

A drawling voice at the door pulled Akari back to the present. She opened her eyes and sat up to lay eyes on a tall boy with wild, red hair. He was watching her with bug eyes and holding his left hand in his right, wrapped in a small towel.

Akari stood from the infirmary bed and straightened out her white coat and pencil skirt, and sat down on her rolling chair.

"Come in."

The boy lolloped into the infirmary at Akari's beckoning and sat across from her in a chair. Akari offered out her palm indicating him to show her his hand, and he did so without saying a word while his bug eyes were still staring at her.

Akari unraveled the towel and revealed a nasty cut on the boy's hand. Not deep enough for stitches, but still nasty to look at. Akari clicked her tongue and started to clean the wound with saline solution.

The boy didn't flinch or hiss when the saline solution touched his wound, but he did speak up.

"Where's Manami-sensei?"

Manami-sensei was the previous infirmary nurse who had retired, giving the open position to Akari.

"She's retired," Akari said without looking up from his hand. "I'm replacing her starting today."

"So what's your name?"

Akari looked up at the boy. He was still staring at her the same way he was before; it made Akari wonder if he ever blinked at all. She wouldn't say it out loud, but his intense stare and the little curls at the corners of his lips made him seem sardonic. Where were the purehearted high school kids like Ukai Keishin that she was expecting?

"It's Oniwa," Akari said, returning to the injured hand.

"'Royal garden?'" the boy persisted, guessing the kanji spelling of her surname.

Akari raised an eyebrow at him. "No. 'Demon' and 'Japanese.'"

That seemed to peak his interest as his lips curled up even more. He leaned forward with excitement, which caused Akari to lean back.

"So we're a demon and a monster, huh?" he chirped. "I'm Tendou Satori. You know, like the _youkai_."

"Okay, don't get excited over something so meaningless," Akari shooed at him so he'd sit back. "Are you this chummy with all the teachers?"

"Nope. The other teachers here aren't young and pretty like you," Tendou Satori said without batting an eyelash, but Akari nearly dropped the blood clotting spray she just picked up.

As Akari contemplated scolding him, she realized that she was the same way as him when she was in high school. But it wasn't so incriminating when she did it.

She smiled brightly at Tendou Satori. "Oh my, I'm so happy I might accidentally cut this wound with this scissor here!"

Tendou Satori narrowed his eyes at her slightly.

"You're weird, Oniwa-sensei. I like it."

Akari shuddered a little at the boy's gaze, but brushed it off and patted a big bandage over his wound. "Whatever. Just be careful with your hand during volleyball; remember it's just a school club."

"How do you know I'm in the volleyball club?" the boy cocked his head curiously to the side.

"Shiratorizawa has the number one volleyball team in Miyagi, right?" Akari said, recalling one of the pointless volleyball conversations with Ukai Keishin. "I figured a strong team must be made up of eccentrics. Seems like I guessed correctly."

Tendou Satori smiled again in his eerie way, then stood up to leave. Before stepping through the door, he mumbled "Yeah, you guessed right."

Akari watched the tall boy saunter out of the infirmary and clicked her tongue. She didn't like the kid at all. Ukai Keishin was a much cuter highschooler back then.

* * *

It was towards the end of the first term of her second year when Oniwa Akari met Ukai Keishin for the first time. A third year boy named Hashimoto, also known as the volleyball club captain, had brought the freshman to Akari's classroom during lunch break. Hashimoto asked Akari to tutor Ukai Keishin for the upcoming final exams. He explained that if the freshman failed any subject, he wouldn't be able to join them in training camp over the summer.

Akari refused at first, saying that she didn't want to feel responsible if Ukai failed his exams even after her tutoring. Besides, the boy should study with other freshmen. But Hashimoto begged. He said that only Akari could do the impossible, because she even helped him once before when she was in a lower grade than him. Unable to resist the flattery, Akari agreed to the task.

"Please take care of me, senpai!" Ukai bowed to Akari at a 90 degree angle.

Akari wouldn't deny that she liked the way Ukai called her senpai with so much boyish energy. Ukai Keishin looked bland as a high school freshman with a simple buzzcut and wide set eyes, but a few things about him stood out as well. Things like his tanned skin and his pronounced eyebrows. Nothing that really screamed 'handsome' but he was refreshing to look at.

His intellect didn't exactly add any points, either.

"This is wrong again," Akari pointed at the math problem that Ukai thought he'd just finished solving. Ukai had come back to her classroom after school ended to receive his tutoring. Apparently, his volleyball captain said that he couldn't go to practice until he'd finished the practice test with a passing grade.

"Geh…" Ukai let out a frustrated grunt and proceeded to erase the whole thing.

Akari looked up at the clock hung on top of the blackboard and realized that it had already been two hours since they started on the practice test. Volleyball practice must already be finished. She then looked around the classroom; it was quiet and empty and the sun was setting outside the window. She couldn't believe that she spent all this time tutoring this boy while she could have used it to review her own notes for the twentieth time.

She had to get _something_ out of this.

"Hey, how about this," Akari leaned closer to Ukai and said, "Try that again and if you get it right, I'll take off my shirt, and if you get it wrong, you take off your shirt."

Ukai blinked at Akari for a second and his face turned bright red. The boy stammered no, but sheepishly looked around his surroundings to see if anyone was around. Akari smirked; boys will be boys, especially ones who had just gone through puberty.

"What? Scared you're gonna catch a cold?" Akari teased.

Gritting his teeth, Ukai proceeded to solve the math problem in front of him. By some miracle from the goddess of sexuality, Ukai solved the problem correctly. As cavaliarly as she suggested it, Akari unbuttoned her uniform blouse, pulled the hem out from the waistband of her skirt, and tossed it on a desk next to them.

As much as Ukai protested Akari taking off her shirt, he couldn't take his eyes away from the sophomore's plump breasts clothed in her lacy black bra. Subconsciously, he gulped at the sight. It wasn't something he imagined someone like Akari wore.

"If you're embarrassed, then don't look," Akari said deviously; she didn't know she could speak that way, but she liked it. "Look at the next question."

Ukai did as she said and moved onto the next question. With a shaky hand he somehow solved the question correctly again, but at this point he didn't know where to look. And when Akari stood up from her seat, Ukai peeked to see what she was up to.

The girl unzipped her pleated skirt from the back and as soon as she moved her fingers, the black skirt fell to the ground, revealing a matching lacy panty.

Ukai wasn't sure if he was in a dream or reality. If it was a dream, he'd have to spend some time in the shower when he wakes up.

"Go on, last question," Akari drawled, stepping closer to Ukai in just her underwear. "Why don't we make it make it double or nothing?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Double," Akari pointed to her bra and panty, then pointed at Ukai. "Or you strip down to nothing."

Ukai was pretty sure that he was in a dream now. How could the respected, straight A student, Oniwa Akari say something like that to him otherwise? And if it was a dream, it didn't matter if he solved the question or not, right? It must be a dream.

Ukai picked up his pencil once again. Years later, he'd long forgotten whether he successfully solved the last question or not.

He did remember, however, that by the end of that session, they were both completely naked. And that by the end of that day, he was no longer a virgin.

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! 
> 
> Enter Guess Monster Satori! He's my favorite from Shiratorizawa. How about you guys? 
> 
> Also, stay tuned for more UkaiXAkari flashbacks! Plus things get heated next chapter!


	4. Nostalgia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mature content after the second line break!

Anyone who had ever met Ukai Keishin could tell that he was easy to annoy, and a few knew that he was a big softy on the inside and not ticked off all the time. Having watched him coach the Karasuno High School Volleyball Club for a while now, Takeda Ittetsu was one of those few. Takeda had never seen Ukai annoyed at something for more than a few minutes, but on this day, for some strange reason, Ukai had had a scowl on his face since the start of morning practice. 

Ukai would not deny that he was irate. And the reason could be none other than Oniwa Akari. 

Two days ago, on their reunion after eight years, Akari easily coerced him into having sex with her once again. However, that was not what ticked Ukai off. No, he wanted it too. There was something about a woman’s forwardness that was sexy to him. 

What was so irritating was that Akari had completely disappeared the day after. No text or calls, and not returning his texts or calls either. Even if it was a one night stand, given their history, Ukai thought that maybe they should have a talk about their relationship from now on, since she was moving back permanently.

The worst part about this was that Ukai felt like he was reduced to some pining teenage boy again. Yes, _again._

“Coach! Watch out!” 

Ukai snapped back to reality at the voice of Hinata Shoyo. InterHigh had officially started and the team had beaten Date Tech, but Hinata was still terrible at receiving. The boy had deterred Tanaka’s spike right towards Ukai’s face.

Before Ukai reacted, a hand shot in front of his face and smacked the ball away with a pop. The hand belonged to Oniwa Karin, Akari’s little sister and his part timer at the store, who seemed to have just finished volleyball practice with the Girls Volleyball Club. 

“What are you doing here?” Ukai grunted, her association with Akari added to his aggression.

“Saving your face, apparently,” unaffected by aggressions of any kind, Karin replied casually to Ukai. “I’m here for Asahi, obviously.”

“Hey, Karin!” Azumane Asashi waved at Karin right on cue. The girl waved back with a sweet smile and told him that she brought a meat bun for him as an after practice snack. 

Ukai narrowed his eyes at Akari’s little sister, who used to be so downcast just a month ago from being repeatedly suspended from school for fighting. Now that she’d found a place with the Girls Volleyball Club and a _boyfriend_ , she seemed as if she was living her best life, which one should during high school. 

The young coach thought about his own high school years; over the three years he could have had a cute girlfriend who brought him meat buns, but all he had was an unspeakable relationship with an elusive upperclassman. 

“Hey, Oniwa,” Ukai walked up to Karin, who was watching Azumane practice serving with googly eyes, and said to her, “What’s your sister been up to?”

Karin raised an eyebrow suspiciously at Ukai’s question. “She just started her new job yesterday. I don’t see her that much because she has to catch an early bus to Sendai.”

Ah, so she started her job. But she couldn’t be _that_ busy on her first day to not even text. 

“Is your sister always this bad at texting?” Ukai asked mindlessly.

“No because she just texted me back right now,” said Karin as she casually put her phone in front of Ukai so he could read their text exchange. 

[Karin: The boss man is asking about you]

[Akari: Tell him to come to Shiratorizawa. I’m bored]

Fury surged inside Ukai as he read the last two words of Akari’s text. Who the hell did she think she was? Or who did she think he was? Ukai could almost hear Akari’s voice say ‘booty call’ but he took a deep breath and calmed down. He was a grown man now and it wasn’t like he was drunk when he agreed to have sex with her. 

But he did feel like he was slowly losing his mind when he decided that he was going to head to Shiratorizawa after practice. 

* * *

Akari had been bored out of her mind. It was her second day on the job, and no one had come into the school infirmary ever since the weird student named Tendou Satori. Akari had thought that she would enjoy this relaxed environment, but she now realized that it was driving her a little crazy. 

Having lived her entire academic years at full throttle, Akari was not used to sitting around, doing nothing. So when she received a text from her little sister, telling her that her old friend had been asking about her, she perked up immediately. 

Though she didn’t know if Ukai would really visit her at Shiratorizawa, she looked out of her window every 10 minutes to see if he’d cross the school gate. The infirmary was situated on the second floor of a building close to the school entrance. 

It was almost the afternoon when a familiar head of blonde showed up near the school gate, though the man hesitated to go in. 

Akari ran down the corridor and out to the entrance to meet Ukai, who was fortunately still standing there. Apparently the security guard at the gate was giving Ukai trouble. Akari quickly told the security guard that he was her guest, and the security let him in. 

“What was that guy’s problem,” Ukai grunted as he walked next to Akari into the school.

“Shiratorizawa doesn’t like outsiders. I guess that’s a private school thing,” Akari said. “You’re lucky I’m here to be your tour guide!”

“I’m not here for a tour,” said Ukai as he rolled his eyes, but Akari was not looking his way.

“What are you here for then?” 

Ukai was stumped. Talk about their relationship? It didn’t feel right to do that inside a high school.

“Oh, I know,” Akari bumped her right fist into her left palm comically as she said, “I can pay you back for dinner last time now. A meal for a meal!”

Akari led Ukai into the fancy cafeteria of Shiratorizawa academy. Lunch time was about over so there was scarcely anyone around. Akari caught the school chef right before closing and somehow talked her way into a buy one get one deal. Ukai was convinced that it had to do with the fact that the school chef was a middle-aged man, and as much as he hated the thought, that woman could get men of any age. 

The two of them sat at a small round table with two bowls of _katsudon_ in front of them. Akari urged Ukai to take the first bite.

“Don’t look down on this _katsudon_ just because it’s from a school cafeteria!” Akari said with an inviting smile. “This is even better than some restaurants out here, you know!”

Ukai ate a piece of pork chop and, as Akari promised, it was delicious. But even delicious food couldn’t assuage his annoyance towards Akari at the moment. He scanned the cafeteria quickly to make sure that there wasn’t anyone within hearing range before starting the conversation.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls or texts?” he grumbled after swallowing the pork chop. He felt a little embarrassed about the way that came out, but it was too late to change that.

“What calls or texts?” Akari returned with a question. 

Ukai shoved his cell phone in front of Akari’s face, showing her the text history.

“Keishin, you’re still as boneheaded as you were in high school!” Akari sneered at his phone screen. “I’ve changed my number after moving to Tokyo! You think I’d have the same number for eight years?”

A blush flashed across Ukai’s face as he quickly retrieved his phone. So he had been calling and texting some random stranger the whole day? 

“Here, add me on LINE,” Akari took out her own phone and opened up her messaging app. “So what were you calling me about?”

“...To talk about that night… at the storage room…” Ukai muttered in a low voice. 

“Oh, yeah, wasn’t it great?” Akari said casually as if all they did was watch a movie together. “Just like old times!”

“NO! I mean, it was great, but…” Ukai raised his voice, but lowered it again immediately. “Is this how it’s going to be between us again?”

Akari put down her phone and looked into Ukai’s eyes, the curls of her lips flattened slightly. “What do you want this to be?”

“I…” Ukai hadn’t thought of that. Obviously, he was hinting at a relationship, but did he really want that? With Oniwa Akari, the woman who broke his heart before? “I just thought since we’re both adults now, we should stop having childish games.”

“My, my, so sex is a childish game to you?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Okay, since you obviously don’t know what you want yet, how about this,” Akari cupped the side of her cheek in one hand as she smiled sweetly at Ukai. 

“Show me what a big man you are and let me finish first this time.”

* * *

Ukai now believed that he’d completely lost it, as he caught himself in a whopping makeout session with Akari in the infirmary room. He didn’t even know why he followed her in there. And he didn’t know why he started to kiss her as soon as she locked the door behind her. Ukai’s action actually surprised both of them; Oniwa Akari didn’t like to be kissed back in high school.

Somehow the act of kissing felt more intimate to her than the sex part. 

Ukai could feel the unease rising in Akari as she awkwardly pushed her tongue inside his mouth and licked the bottom of his tongue. Her inexperience in kissing actually turned him on more; Ukai deepened the kiss without realizing that he’d been pressing the back of Akari’s head into the door. When the young woman moaned uncomfortably into him, he felt a warm sensation in his groin. His lips still tried to advance even when Akari reached her arms around his neck and pulled his head back by his blonde locks.

Akari’s chest heaved up and down as she breathed, and Ukai had just realized that her shirt was way too low cut to be professional.

“...I bet lots of teenage boys come in here when they’re not even sick,” Ukai said darkly.

“Hmm, just one actually,” Akari puckered her lips and acted innocent. “He said I was young and cute—”

Ukai claimed her lips again, only because she kept saying stuff to annoy him purposefully. How was she so good at annoying him? But at least, with kissing, he had the upper hand. 

Worried about the health of her brain cells, Akari moved both of them to the vacant infirmary bed by wrapping her arms around Ukai’s waist. In one swift motion, Ukai was hovering above Akari while she laid on her back. Her short pencil skirt rolled up her thighs as Ukai pushed a knee between her legs. 

Akari took off Ukai’s T-shirt and looked at his body with satisfaction. Good thing the man didn’t stop playing volleyball after high school. She then took off her own blouse and threw it on her work desk. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this,” said Ukai, but his hands were already caressing Akari’s breasts. 

“The students are all in class right now. We’re fine as long as we keep quiet.” 

Ukai gulped; the last sentence out of Akari’s mouth sent a wave of nostalgia to his head. As he leaned down to plant kisses all over Akari’s neck and collarbones, his hands worked on removing her pencil skirt. He heard a soft giggle from Akari, then felt her hands reach down to help him remove his jogger pants.

“So impatient, Keishin,” Akari smiled at him with half opened eyes. 

The way she said his name always drove him wild, and his cock was so hard like an eager student raising his hand up high, hoping the teacher would pick him. 

That’s right, she picked him. Out of all the boys who went to school with them at Karasuno High School, she picked him. 

Once his pants were off, Akari sat up and pushed him down on the bed. She straddled him and grinded slowly against him. Ukai moaned; a thin layer of lace offered little to no barrier between their skin. 

“Senpa—”

“Call me Akari.”

“A-Aka-ri…” Calling her by her given name gave him a strange, warm feeling inside.

Akari nodded with a smile, and removed her lace panties. She reached into her desk drawer and took out a condom—Ukai was too horny now to think about whether or not it was appropriate for her to keep condoms at school—and rolled it on for Ukai. She then positioned herself above him and slowly slid all the way down to the base of his cock.

“Oh, fu—” Akari’s soft palm immediately covered Ukai’s mouth to mute his moan. 

At the same time, Ukai also lifted his hand to cover her mouth, for she had also made an equally inappropriate sound. 

The two of them looked at each other in the eyes and understood perfectly: make it quick.

Akari started moving her hips, and Ukai bucked his own to match Akari’s rhythm. Soon they were both panting into each other's hands. Even the moisture building up in Ukai’s palm from Akari’s parted lips was making him harder. 

Then Akari closed her eyes, the movement of her hips became impatient. In a matter of seconds, Akari’s body stiffened and a throaty moan escaped between Ukai’s fingers, which pushed him over the edge right after her. 

They removed their hands over each other’s mouths and Akari licked her lips. She stood from the bed and got dressed quickly. After handing Ukai his clothes, she reached into her pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

Ukai narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you sure it’s appropriate to smoke inside a _school infirmary_?”

Akari slid open the window and took a long drag of menthol and sighed it out. She turned to Ukai and smiled in satisfaction.

“I’ve never been an appropriate person. You should know that, Keishin.”

* * *

To be continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! There goes my first mature content! Hope it wasn't too awkward!!


	5. Trapped

“You know you’re only supposed to give this away if you’re the one graduating, right, Keishin?”

It was Spring 2004 when Oniwa Akari and Ukai Keishin stood under a blossoming sakura tree in their high school’s courtyard after Akari’s graduation ceremony. Ukai was holding out his hand toward the older girl, the second button from his uniform jacket sitting in his palm, and his face turning the same color as the flowers falling all around them. 

It was a tradition for a graduating male student to give his second button to the girl he liked. The second button on the boys’ uniform was closest to his heart. It was as close to a verbal confession as Ukai could muster up the courage to give to Akari. 

When Akari handed the button back to him, he found that all words he could have said to her had lost meaning.

“Keep this and give it to some cute second year girl this time next year, all right?” Akari smiled sweetly at Ukai, whom she must have known to be brokenhearted. “Someone who lives close by at least.”

Ukai had never felt so deflated in his life. He understood the nature of their relationship well, but he’d caught feelings and for some time, he thought she did too. For one, it was never official, but they were exclusive. Akari had made it known to him that she was not interested in other guys, though she never provided a reason. They had grown comfortable with each other; besides sex, they’d talk about their lives and their futures. 

It wasn’t a surprise to him when she announced that she got into a university in Tokyo. She had been working towards that goal even before she started high school. Her dream was to become a doctor, the same dream that belonged to her mother that was unrealized because she passed away so young. 

He wanted to tell her not to go. There were medical schools in Miyagi and of course hospitals. But he couldn’t bring himself to when he knew how hard she worked to get that acceptance letter. He couldn’t just ignore the rare, genuine smile Akari had on her face when she told him the news. 

In the end, he only told her congratulations. 

Then Akari left, not spending any time to enjoy her last summer before college. Ukai had sewn the button back to its original spot on his uniform. He’d give it away to some other girl like Akari suggested. Some girl who would not only be cute, but sweet and caring. Someone who would have time to go on dates. Someone who would come cheer for him at volleyball games. Someone who didn’t smoke cigarettes. He wouldn’t mind going slow; she wasn’t going to go anywhere. 

But things don’t always turn out like you planned. Ukai never gave away the second button on his uniform again, and he’d picked up smoking. And Akari never became a doctor.

* * *

Akari had been awake since three o’clock in the morning. She tossed and turned in her bed, checking her phone for the time every few minutes, until the aroma of coffee fished her out from under her sheets. She went downstairs to find her father pouring two cups of coffee in the kitchen. 

“Heard your footsteps,” Mr. Oniwa grunted before Akari even uttered a morning greeting.

As Mr. Oniwa sat on one end of the dining table, sipping coffee and reading his newspaper, Akari grabbed the second cup from the kitchen counter and sat across from him. The parent and child sat in an awkward silence. While Akari fueled herself with caffeine, she realized that her father had always been this quiet since she was a kid. She just never noticed because her mother filled in the silence. 

Akari cleared her throat. “How’s work?”

“Same old stuff,” Mr. Oniwa said without putting down his newspaper. “Break things down, build things up, etc.” 

“Sounds busy, at least,” Akari shrugged even though her father was not looking. “I’m just waiting for something to do all the time.”

Mr. Oniwa scoffed. “That’s what happens to dropouts.”

Akari narrowed her eyes at her father. He’d always had an impossible standard for his children, even though he was in a deadend job himself. Akari had never been on his bad side until she asked him if she could move back home. As if she didn’t blame herself enough for dropping out, her father sure gave her an earful over the phone about giving up so easily. Akari just wished that he wasn’t so harsh towards her baby sister, Karin. She voiced her wish aloud.

“Don’t even get me started on your sister,” Mr. Oniwa finally lowered his newspaper, revealing deeply furrowed brows. “I would be surprised if they even let her graduate considering all the times she got suspended for fighting.”

“It’s sad that the school has more faith in her than her own father does,” Akari scoffed.

“You don’t think I feel sad that both my daughters are disappointments?” Mr. Oniwa raised an eyebrow.

Akari’s fingers on the cup handle tightened, her knuckles turning pale from the grip. . 

“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Akari said in a low voice.

Mr. Oniwa’s mouth twisted in anger, but before he could come up with a response, Akari stood up and stormed out of the house. 

Akari stomped down the street in her oversized sweater and joggers, thinking that instead of spending her first paycheck on a new mattress, she was going to search for an apartment in Sendai. She couldn’t live with that insufferable man. 

In a frenzy, Akari realized that she was just walking without a destination in mind. But as she looked up ahead, the surroundings were familiar. She approached the crossroad and made a left, and there stood the Sakanoshita Store. And in front of the store stood Ukai Keishin, yawning as he dug into his pocket for the store keys. 

When she took another step forward, he noticed her presence. He was startled to see her at first, but then he looked at her from head to toe. She seemed to be in her house clothes and—he wasn’t sure if it’s because of the early morning or what—she wasn’t smiling as she usually did. 

Ukai unlocked the door and pulled it open, then stood back. 

“Get in there,” he said. 

Akari did as she was told and walked into the store. Ukai followed close behind and turned on the lights promptly. He motioned for her to sit at his usual seat behind the counter while he opened up the register, then he started to put fresh products into the hot foods display. Akari watched quietly as Ukai worked, just now feeling a little embarrassed about him seeing her so disheveled. 

A steaming meat bun appeared in front of her face. She looked up to see Ukai holding the meat bun to her with a soft expression. 

“I figured you’re the type that would skip breakfast,” he grumbled. “It’s the most important meal of the day. Don’t they teach you that in school?”

A giggle broke from Akari’s lips. She accepted the meat bun with grace. “I must have ditched class that day.”

“That doesn’t sound like Oniwa Akari,” Ukai smiled a crooked smile before leaving to check that the shelves were fully stocked. 

Akari’s lips uncurled when Ukai turned around.  _ So what is Oniwa Akari supposed to sound like? _ She wanted to ask. A girl with perfect grades who loved to study? A girl who took such great leaps that instead of ditching classes, she went and dropped out of school entirely? 

A knot of frustration grew in her stomach. She took a bite of the meat bun. It’s juices slid down her tongue and her throat; the first things she tasted was the salt and the fat from the pork. As she expected, she wasn’t used to eating breakfast at all. 

She placed the meat bun down on the counter and got up. She found Ukai in aisle four, fixing some price tag on the shelf, and she went behind him. Her arms snaked around his waist and she felt his body tense up. 

“What are you…”

Ukai’s voice came to a quick stop when Akari tiptoed and lightly pressed her lips on the back of his earlobe. Her breath was warm from having just taken a bite of the hot meat bun. 

“I think I prefer something else to settle my stomach in the morning.”

* * *

The entire infirmary smelled of coffee a few minutes after Akari got to work, though no amount of coffee could help her sleep depravity now. With only four hours of sleep and rigorous activity in the morning, Akari promptly dozed off at her desk. 

Akari spent almost the entire morning in deep sleep; no one interrupted her as classes were in session. It was an hour before noon when she was awakened by a knock at the door. Akari straightened up in her seat and instinctively wiped the corners of her mouth before turning around to face the student standing outside her infirmary.

“...Come in,” Akari sighed at the sight of Tendou Satori, who was, again, holding his hand in paper towels. 

Tendou entered the infirmary, this time with more of a skip in his steps. He revealed his hand to Akari expectantly, and Akari’s nose scrunched. A shallow and clean cut bled on his thumb. Akari looked the boy up and down; he was in his school uniform. 

“This isn’t from volleyball. What did you do now?” Akari asked.

“We were dissecting mice in Biology class,” Tendou chirped, not seeming in pain at all. “I accidentally cut my finger.”

Akari raised an eyebrow at the boy. “You  _ accidentally _ cut through your glove too?”

A sly smile spread across Tendou’s face. “Oniwa-sensei, are you suggesting that I cut myself on purpose so that I can come in and see you?”

“No, I’m just wondering how dumb a person has to be to have this kind of accident,” Akari deadpanned and began to clean the wound. 

“The word you’re looking for is crazy,” Tendou’s eyes flashed. 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Akari smiled at him, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. 

Tendou stayed quiet for a while as Akari turned away to find some bandages in her drawers. He kept his big eyes on her, noticing that she was wearing sweats under her white coat instead of her usual low-cut blouse and pencil skirt. When Akari turned back to him, he began to talk again. 

“They guy from the other day, is he your boyfriend?”

Akari dropped the bandage on the floor. Tendou, seeing that Akari was looking into his eyes in search of something, bent down and picked up the bandage. 

“What are you talking about?” Akari asked after clearing her throat.

“The blonde guy you were eating with in the cafeteria,” Tendou said, the corners of his mouth curling up with interest.

“No, he’s an old friend,” Akari said shortly.

“Old flame?” 

Tendou winced as Akari pulled the bandage around his thumb tightly and then pressed on the wound. 

“Don’t be cheeky,” Akari gave him a warning smile. “It’s not cute.”

“So who is he then?” Tendou persisted. “Can’t be a faculty here because Shiratorizawa would never hire a roughneck like that.”

“Hey, you can’t judge a person by their looks.”

“You’re defending him. So there is something between you guys.”

Akari narrowed her eyes at Tendou; why did this kid want to know about Ukai so badly? Better yet, why was he always bothering her? She had already told him that Ukai was not her boyfriend, and that was the truth. 

Although that may not have been the whole truth. 

Akari knew how Ukai felt about her back then. His actions spoke pretty loudly. But toward his advances, she would always brush them off and then avoid him a few days until he’d cooled off. Focusing on school was always her top priority, and a top excuse. Akari thought that he would resent her for how she treated him, but she was surprised that she was able to pull him into the same old routine even after eight years. 

That was something she liked about him—despite his outward image, he was caring, sincere, responsible, and deserving of so much. But Oniwa Akari was too prideful to say that she was wrong all those years ago. And yet, she craved his attention even more so now than ever. 

“—Like a mouse trapped by the tail,” Akari mumbled.

“The blonde guy?” Tendou blinked his big eyes at her. 

Akari smiled wryly. 

“No, me.”

* * *

To be continued.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some mutual pining up in here 😬 I also just realized that a lot of my fics include shitty fathers? Lol my poor girls. Hope you guys liked this chapter! The next time might be a little later than usual.


	6. Lost

"What's this?"

Akari asked Ukai, pointing at a poster taped to the window of his store. She was there again right at opening time even though it was a Saturday. In fact, she had been going everyday for a few days. Her insomnia during the night and early morning was getting worse. It would have driven crazy if she didn't have a place to go to and somebody to bother.

Ukai followed Akari's finger to see a poster he'd just put up yesterday. A promotional poster made by Karasuno Boys Volleyball Club's new addition, first year manager Yachi Hitoka.

"We're trying time fund-raise for a bus to transport the team to Sendai for the InterHigh games," Ukai explained, followed by a yawn.

"You guys sure are gung-ho about this club thing," Akari said while still looking at the poster. The orange-haired boy in the black jersey was high up in the air. It was a well-made poster. Definitely better than any club from back in her days.

"It's not a _club thing,_ " Ukai scoffed. "It's their passion!"

Akari gazed at Ukai, who eyed her with droopy, sleepy eyes. Akari didn't choose insomnia, but Ukai chose to wake up early and come home late for these kids. Akari was sure that he must not even notice how tired he was. She was like that before, too."

"It's your passion too, isn't it?" Akari said softly.

Ukai's face flushed slightly and he scratched the back of his head, "I guess you could say that."

"I don't know what that feels like," Akari leaned back in the chair behind the store counter and mused. That was her designated seat when it was still too early for customers to come in. "Passion, I mean. I didn't participate in club activities in high school."

"You had the student council, didn't you?" Ukai reminded her.

"Yes, but it was only so that it would look good on my college application," said Akari.

"Well, what about becoming a doctor?"

"I think that was my mother's passion," Akari's eyes casted down to her feet.

Ukai did not expect Akari to bring up her mother. It wasn't a topic she enjoyed talking about, which was understandable for anyone. He grabbed an extra chair and placed it in front of Akari, and then sat down quietly.

"I've been thinking," Akari continued, "The whole 'following mom's footsteps' was just a way for me to cope with her death. I thought that maybe by following her path I could stay close to her even though she's gone."

The look on Akari's face was one Ukai was not familiar with. She seemed so tired and lifeless. He had always liked her for her confidence and her drive, but now that she was in such a state, he felt as if someone was squeezing his heart.

"But, you know, she never made it to her goal," a sad smile surfaced on Akari's face. "I guess I've followed her pretty well, huh?"

"S-Akari," Ukai grasped Akari's hand firmly, earning him a surprised look from her. "Things may not always turn out the way you planned, but that doesn't mean you've failed. You're still doing a great job that helps people!"

Akari felt warm. Uncomfortably warm. Perhaps Ukai didn't have the air conditioner on in his store. No, that was not it. It was his eyes that were emitting the warmth. And his palm felt like heated gloves around her hand.

It was the sincerity in his eyes that always made Akari's heart sway.

Whenever she didn't do as well as she wanted on a test or a project, he was always there to give her solace. Whenever she was stressed out by student council duties, he was there to help her take her mind off it.

How selfish was she to keep rejecting him and then crawl back to him whenever she felt like it?

Seeing the faltering look in Akari, Ukai caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. His calloused skin sent shivers throughout her body. She didn't deserve him, but she wanted him. She needed him.

"Keishin…" Akari murmured as she leaned towards him.

Ukai was a little surprised by Akari's behavior this morning, and even more surprised that she was leaning in for a kiss. He didn't think he'd ever seen Akari blush before, and looked so lovely that it was making his heart race even though they've done much more than kissing.

He leaned in as well. Slowly and softly, their lips brushed against each other. That might have been the lightest kiss they ever shared, but it was making waves in both of their hearts.

As Ukai thought about deepening the kiss, the door to the store jingled open.

The two of them sprang back at the same time, and both whirled to see Oniwa Karin standing at the door, mouth slightly agape.

"W-what are you doing here, Karin?" Akari mustered up a smile.

"For my shift," said Karin matter-of-factly. "I'd ask you the same thing but it's pretty obvious."

"Karin, you're not as cute as you used to be," Akari chided halfheartedly.

"Cute is for little girls. I'm a woman now," said Karin. "Aren't you gonna be late for that _thing,_ Nee-san?"

Akari glanced at her wristwatch and stood up immediately, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!"

Akari's hand slipped out of Ukai's grasp as she walked away from him and out from behind the counter. She stopped in front of the jar labeled "Donations" and put a 10 thousand yen bill inside. Ukai tried to stop her, but she insisted.

"It's too much!" Ukai frowned.

"That's a good thing!" Akari grinned mischievously. "Think about how bad you'll feel about it now if you lose a game! It's called motivation!"

"I think 'guilt' is the word you're looking for."

"Either way, you won't feel bad if you win," Akari winked and quickly got out of the store after yelling, "See ya, kiddos!"

Ukai watched Akari disappear into the street with a strange feeling in his chest. He felt like he just had some sort of a breakthrough with her. He saw a vulnerable side of her. If he'd seen this side of her eight years ago, he probably would have never gotten over his heartbreak.

But now, it felt as if he was falling for her deeper than before. It was the start of something new.

"Excuse me," Karin interrupted his thoughts. "Could you let me through? I need to grab the apron."

Ukai scratched his face sheepishly and scooted aside. As Karin went behind the counter to grab her apron, Ukai just thought about what she said to her sister.

"Where's your sister going?" he asked.

Karin turned to look at Ukai, as if contemplating whether or not to tell him. She pursed her lips for a couple of seconds before opening them again.

"An arranged marriage meeting."

* * *

The dreaded meeting was set up by Akari's father. He believed that Akari was old enough to get married and settle down, especially if she was done with medical school and "going nowhere in life." Akari resisted rather aggressively, but her father said that if she was going to live under his roof, then she was going to do as she was told.

Akari could _not_ wait to move out. But considering how she'd just spent half of her biweekly salary on her student loans, it wasn't going to happen that quickly.

The blind date was set up to be at an old timey Japanese tea house. There were many of these in Miyagi, but truly it was not the kind of place Akari preferred to spend her time at. They were too fancy and therefore did not allow smoking. Although smoking on the first date would not make her marriage material at all.

She arrived at the tea house ten minutes later than the agreed upon time and immediately asked the hostess to direct her to their table. Apparently the man had arranged a private room for them. Akari could only imagine some lame businessman trying to impress her with that feat.

Once Akari entered the private room, the only other occupant inside stood up and greeted her with an amiable smile. Akari smiled back, but she couldn't help but think that the man looked somewhat familiar.

"Wait… aren't you Oniwa-sensei?" the man asked, the familiarity was mutual after all.

Akari studied the man in front of her. He was young and tall, maybe just a couple of years her senior, and he sported a simple buzzcut and rectangular eyeglasses. The suit he wore was as plain as his look, but at least it made him look honest. However, with such a plain look, it was impossible for Akari to remember who he was.

"I'm sorry, I don't…" Akari politely apologized for not remembering him as he remembered her. At which the man only returned an understanding chuckle.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm Saitou Akira. I'm a volleyball coach at Shiratorizawa Academy. We met once in the teachers' lounge, but I bet you've been meeting a lot of new faces since you just started not too long ago."

The moment that Saitou said 'volleyball coach,' it clicked for Akari. On that day Saitou was wearing a set of white tracksuit. Along with the buzzcut, it reminded Akari of Ukai Keishin in high school, only without the glasses and with black tracksuits.

To Akari's relief, both Saito and she agreed that it would be unethical to date as coworkers. Saito suggested that they have a friendly lunch together since he already had the room booked anyway. Akari was going to decline at first, but when the waitress came and handed them menus with expensive and luxurious items, Akari changed her mind. The day was going better than she thought it was going to go.

"Oh, well, this is a little awkward," Akari gave him a giggle after ordering a fancy bento meal from the first page of the menu. "I guess neither of our parents paid attention to the 'Employer' section of our profiles, huh?"

Saitou laughed as well. "It must have been my mother's careless mistake. She's very determined to find me a wife by the end of this year. I guess when a new candidate profile got added to the agency, she had to take the first dib."

"So I take it you've done this a few times then?" Akari considered how mentally and financially exhausting it must be to go on these blind dates frequently. "This is my first time and I'm honestly relieved to run into a coworker, because I don't know if I can take a blind date seriously."

"Well, you better retrieve your profile from the agency right away, because you'll be getting lots of requests with a face like yours."

Saitou's eyes widened even more dramatically than Akari's at the words that came out of his mouth. He apologized profusely with embarrassment, bowing so hard that his forehead nearly hit the table in front of him. Akari didn't take it any further than a joke, but as a blind date veteran, he clearly knew that he stepped over the line.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry about that!" Saitou was flabbergasted by his own behavior. "Spending so much time with pubescent athletes must have rubbed off on me!"

Akari realized that he was talking about coaching the boys volleyball team. "Do you mean Tendou Satori specifically?"

The mention of one of the team's starting regulars pulled him out of his nervous rambling. "You know Tendou?"

"He's a regular at my infirmary," A subtle dark look took over Akari's smile for a split second. "You need to keep an eye on him. That kid's a little wild."

"Now that you mention it, Tendou has been playing more recklessly than usual recently," Saitou rubbed his chin as he thought about the quirky redhead. "I'm sorry if he's been bothering you a lot while you're busy working!"

"It's fine," Akari was getting a little uncomfortable with all the apologies. "I'm actually pretty bored at work. No one really comes into the infirmary at all. No wonder I don't get paid much!"

Akari wanted to bite her own tongue after that inappropriate joke. Her built up stress about money since moving to Tokyo was affecting her more now than ever. Fortunately, Saitou was looking at her with curious but nonjudgmental eyes.

"Are you pretty experienced with first aid for sports related injuries?" He asked out of the blue.

"Um…" Akari thought about it. "I don't know if 'experienced' is the right word, but I was trained pretty extensively on first aid while getting certified to be a school nurse."

"Well, if you're interested, I can get you a part time job as a medic at the Sendai Sports Center," Saitou offered. "It's InterHigh season for volleyball right now and they're short handed, and I happen to know the director at the Center."

Akari's eyes lit up at the opportunity to make more money, which meant a step closer to moving out of her father's house.

"Really? It's okay even if I can only work weekends?"

"Of course! I'm sure the current medic there is going to be thrilled that he'll get to have weekends off!" Saitou chuckled at Akari's concern, which brought about his own, "Are you sure you're okay with working six or seven days a week?"

Akari smiled, genuinely this time, as if hope had been restored to the world.

"I couldn't ask for a better arrangement!"

* * *

One week after Akari's lunch date with Saitou Akira, she officially became a part time medic at the Sendai Sports Center. Akari happily woke up early on a Saturday morning, not that she was really asleep during the night, and got ready to go take the bus to Sendai.

As Akari went downstairs, she was surprised to see her sister Karin already up and about.

"Why are you up so early?" Akari asked.

"I'm going to Sakanoshita for a full day shift because boss man is going to Sendai for the day," said Karin.

"Oh!" Akari's eyes lit up at the news. "Does his team have a game today? Guess what? I'm going to Sendai too! I got a part time job at the Sports Center!"

A soft smile crept up on Karin's face as she hadn't seen Akari excited in a while. She could tell that Akari had been in some sort of a funk lately, unable to sleep at night and lethargic during the day. Something new to do might just be what the doctor ordered. But the fact that it was going to be the same place as Ukai ultimately erased her smile.

"Nee-san, if you see him today, don't tease him too much," Karin said with a little frown.

"Why?" Akari looked at Karin strangely.

Karin shifted her eyes. "He might be a little upset because I told him that you went to an arranged marriage meeting."

Completely surprised by what Karin did, Akari was at a loss for words. But soon, the surprise was replaced by anger. "Karin! You shouldn't have told him!"

"Why not? He likes you. He deserves to know," Karin countered.

"No one deserves to know anything!" Akari raised her voice. "And clearly I shouldn't have told you either!"

"Why can't you just be with him?" Karin ignored Akari's angry words and pressed for her to face her feelings. "You like him too! I can tell."

Akari pursed her lips. It was true; she did like him. And she probably liked him a little too much. But she couldn't tell him that. Not now, at least. She hardly felt like herself lately and she needed to be herself before she could be with him.

"It's none of your business, Karin."

Akari headed for the door before seeing the look of hurt on her sister's face.

* * *

To be continued.


	7. Recollection

Oniwa Akari groaned as she leaned back in her chair inside the First Aid room at the Sendai Sports Center. The first day of her part time gig was as boring as her regular job at Shiratorizawa Academy. Just one more hour and the morning would be over, but no injured athlete had paid her a visit. Perhaps she had overestimated the dangers of volleyball.

She started scrolling through social media on her phone; the few friends she connected with from medical school were all too busy to post anything. Akari exhaled a heavy breath when she scrolled to a photo of Karin and Azumane Asahi; Karin wished Azumane good luck in the caption. Akari wanted to like the post, but felt a bit sheepish since she snapped at Karin a few hours ago.

Shutting down the social media app, Akari pulled up Ukai Keishin's contact information. She contemplated calling or texting him, but wondered what she would say. She was bothered by the knowledge that he was upset with her, but she never prepared for this day to happen. Though they bantered all the time, Ukai Keishin had never gotten really mad at her.

As she stared at her phone in deep thought, the door suddenly swung open. Akari nearly jumped out of her seat when two high school kids rushed into the room. One of them, a tall boy, was holding a towel to the side of his face. Akari noticed his uniform—he was a player on Karasuno's team.

"What happened?" Akari stood up quickly and led the boy to sit down on the bed.

"Sa-Sawamura-senpai collided with Tanaka-senpai's shoulder while going for the ball," the short blonde girl, whom Akari assumed was the club's manager, said nervously.

Akari removed the towel from Sawamura's face. His cheek was quite swollen; the blonde girl also said that he also lost a tooth from the collision.

"I feel fine!" Sawamura said with great urgency. "I can still pla—"

Sawamura was silenced when Akari shoved a cotton ball into his mouth. He looked at Akari's face for the first time, and she was smiling so eerily at him that it almost scared him.

"Bite down on that so your mouth stops bleeding," Akari commanded, and Sawamura complied.

Akari proceeded to get him an ice pack for his face to help with the swelling, and then she sat down in front of him. The boy still looked antsy even though he seemed scared enough not to do anything rash.

"Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous?" Akari asked.

"I said I feel fine!" Sawamura raised his voice, startling the young girl watching next to him.

Akari narrowed her eyes at Sawamura. The boy still wanted to go back to his game even after losing a tooth. He must be the captain of the team. Unfortunately for him, Akari didn't care for reckless and irresponsible behavior, save for underage smoking and sex.

"Strong emotional reactions can be an indicator of mild concussion," Akari said sternly, pinning Sawamura down with her eyes. "You are to stay here and rest."

"But I—"

"Save it, boy," Akari cut him off. "Have a little faith in your teammates. Besides, Keishin will be even more upset with me if I sent you back like this."

Sawamura and the girl exchanged surprised looks.

"You know Coach Ukai?" Sawamura asked.

Akari felt a little bit mischievous. She reached into her purse and took out her wallet. Hidden behind her ID card was a Polaroid picture. Akari hadn't looked at the picture in a long time herself.

It was a picture of her and Ukai in high school, taken on the school's rooftop. A younger Akari took the Polaroid selfie while sitting comfortably between Ukai's legs and leaning into his chest. Ukai's face in the picture was bright red.

Akari's eyes softened at the picture. It was clear that they liked each other more than just the physical attraction. Ukai liked her confidence and drive, and Akari liked Ukai's passion and earnestness.

Even back when she was confident and sure of herself, she still didn't tell him how she felt about him.

_I really messed up, didn't I?_ Akari thought to herself.

"Does this picture answer your question?" Akari handed the picture to the teens and grinned.

Both of them blushed furiously at the picture, much like their volleyball coach's younger self.

* * *

First day at the Sendai Sports Center ended as uneventfully as it started. Sawamura Daichi, whom Akari eventually learned to be the captain of Karasuno's volleyball team, was kept in the infirmary until the end of their game. There was a burst of excitement when they learned that Karasuno had won the match, but the rest of the day was quiet.

The silence allowed Akari to brew in her feelings. She must have spent an hour just staring at the Polaroid picture. As she collected her things, she suddenly realized that she felt nervous to see Ukai again.

_You're not a teenager anymore, Akari._ Akari exhaled deeply and calmed herself as she exited the infirmary.

And as fate would have it, she ran right into the Karasuno team as they were leaving the sports center.

"Ah, Miss Nurse!" Yachi Hitoka, the girl who had accompanied Sawamura to the infirmary, called out to Akari.

Suddenly, all the boys and Ukai whirled their heads toward her. Akari froze; all the curious gazes confined her like prison bars. But the most intense gaze of them all was Ukai's, and she was not ready to meet his gaze yet.

In a moment of panic, Akari looked to a familiar face in the group.

"Oh hey, Asahi-kun!" Akari waved at Azumane Asahi with a forced smile.

"Akari-san, what are you doing here?" Azumane asked, a little startled when Akari singled him out.

"Asahi, you know the medic here?" Sawamura raised an eyebrow at their ace. It has been a strange day since visiting the infirmary.

Azumane nodded. "She's Karin's sister."

"Ehhh!" Sugawara exclaimed.

"Now I see the resemblance!" Sawamura looked back at Akari with wide eyes.

"Of course, Demon-senpai's sister is a beauty as well!" Nishinoya added with excitement.

"Stop making a ruckus!" Ukai growled at the boys. He looked toward Akari, and this time she could no longer avoid meeting his eyes. "You're a medic here?"

Akari swallowed, but her throat was dry. "Um… yeah, just started today."

She couldn't decipher the look on Ukai's face. It was one she'd seen before, but she couldn't remember when. What's for sure was that he was _not_ happy. He must still be upset about her going on blind dates.

"Thanks for taking care of Sawamura," Ukai said flatly and walked away.

Watching Ukai's back, Akari realized where she'd seen that look before. It was the look he had when she rejected him on her graduation day.

For a moment, Akari had trouble breathing. She pretended that she'd forgotten something in the infirmary and retrieved into the room. As soon as she shut the door, she reached for her pack of cigarettes.

After expelling the long drag with a shaky breath, Akari put the cigarette out.

"I have to tell him, don't I?" Akari murmured.

With a couple of shakes of her head, Akari embarked on her way back home.

* * *

It was already seven o'clock when Akari stepped off the bus at the stop near her house. Knowing Ukai Keishin, he probably went straight back to his store without eating dinner. Akari nodded to herself as she drew up her game plan in her head. The best way to appease a man was through his stomach. She was going to go home, freshen herself from a whole day of work, make herself look nice, then pick up dinner for both of them and bring it to the store.

How could anyone stay mad at her at that point? Talk about girlfriend material!

Akari picked up her pace and headed back to her home while searching on her phone for something good for takeout.

Nights in the Miyagi suburbs were usually quiet and tranquil. So when an ambulance passed her by with its siren howling, Akari thought it was strange. And when it turned onto the street where her house was, she felt an ominous pressure in her chest.

Akari ran the rest of the way back. To her dismay, the ambulance had stopped in front of her house. Several neighbors were standing out on the street to see what happened. Among the crowd was Karin and Azumane; the tall boy holding the girl's shoulder.

"Karin!" Akari called out nervously.

The distressed look on Karin's face when she turned her head toward Akari crashed down on Akari like a bolt of lightning.

"Nee-san," Karin's lips trembled with fright. "It's dad… he had a stroke."

_Clack._

Akari's phone dropped onto the ground, just as her heart did at the news.

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the short chapter but... next one is the finale! Yay! This story has been an interesting one for me to write, so thank you all for reading! I've been working on a Iwaizumi/OC fic so I'm thinking that's what I will publish next, but probably not for a while. Anywho, thanks and see you next chapter!


	8. Acceptance

"What do you mean you took the week off? You barely started your job! Are you trying to get yourself fired?!"

Mr. Oniwa's rough voice echoed down the quiet hallway of the hospital in the morning. A nurse peeked inside the room where he was currently situated and gave Akari a disapproving glare. Akari bowed apologetically toward the nurse while wondering how cruel she'd be if she smacked her father after he just had a stroke.

The procedures done on Mr. Oniwa after arriving at the hospital went smoothly. Akari stayed at the hospital through the night and insisted that Karin went home and rested. Then Akari promptly requested a week off from Shiratorizawa, knowing that she needed to take care of her father through rehabilitation. Although, Mr. Oniwa clearly didn't think he needed any help.

"I suppose you didn't need Karin to call the ambulance last night either, huh?" Akari rolled her eyes at her father, but still helped him sit up on the bed, no matter how much he struggled.

"What time is it? You can still make it to work," Mr. Oniwa grunted.

"Just be quiet and eat your yogurt, dad," Akari said and peered at the clock on the wall. It was six o'clock in the morning. She hadn't slept for over 24 hours.

Akari warned Mr. Oniwa not to try and get out of bed before heading for the door. As she pulled the door open, an unexpected face revealed in front of her.

It was Ukai Keishin. His hand was raised in midair, seemingly about to knock the door. Both of them were surprised; Akari more so. Akari's heart immediately started racing when she remembered what she had planned to do for Ukai before she found out that Mr. Oniwa was having a stroke. She was hardly ready to see him. She never even got to change or refresh her makeup. What if she smelled bad?

"Is that the doctor? Tell him I'm fine!"

Mr. Oniwa's voice stopped Akari's train of thoughts. In a bout of embarrassment, Akari pushed Ukai out into the hallway while telling Mr. Oniwa that it was nobody and that she was going to use the restroom. After both of them were out of the room, she shut the door a little too hard behind her.

"Are you—"

"What are you doing here?"

Ukai and Akari asked at the same time, and Akari's cheeks burned as she realized how harsh she must have sounded.

"I heard about what happened to your dad from your sister," Ukai didn't seem to mind Akari's question. "So I'm here to see how he's doing, and he sounds pretty energetic. And I figured that you've been here all night, so I brought you some food."

Ukai handed Akari a small bag with some sandwiches and rice crackers. Akari felt tongue tied facing Ukai's kindness even now.

"...I thought you're upset with me," Akari mumbled, wishing that properly thanking him didn't feel so foreign to her.

"Well…" Ukai exhaled and scratched the back of his head. "I am, but… even if you don't feel the same way about me, I guess we're still friends, at least. And this is what a friend should do, right?"

Akari couldn't respond to that. A minute of silence passed between them as Akari stared at the tip of her shoes and Ukai stared at the top of her head. Finally, just as Ukai thought about leaving, Akari's head snapped up.

"Keishin," Akari said with an unusual seriousness. "Let's go on a date. Right now."

Surprise and anticipation flashed across Ukai's face, but he shook them away quickly. "What are you saying? You must be tired. Go get some rest at home."

Ukai turned toward the direction of the lobby, but Akari grabbed his hand.

"Wait, don't leave!"

Ukai whirled around and looked down at Akari, who was smiling with slightly furrowed brows. There was sadness and loneliness in her eyes, and at that moment, Ukai realized that that wasn't the first time he'd seen those eyes. She often had that look, even back when they were in high school. She just hid them better.

He felt himself being drawn in again, even though he was supposed to be mad at her for playing games. But somehow, deep down, he knew that Akari was hurting just as much.

"You can't stay mad at me, can you?"

Akari teased him shakily. An exasperated sigh was the only answer she needed. She grasped his hand more firmly and pulled him down the corridor.

* * *

Having no plans whatsoever, Akari and Ukai went inside the closest store to the hospital—a McDonald's across the street. It wasn't the most romantic place, but both of them knew that they couldn't stand the silence between them if they were to go somewhere far.

Akari ordered nothing but a large iced coffee, which she paired with the sandwiches Ukai had brought. Being cheap was one thing, but Akari was completely shameless when the workers glared at her for eating outside food. Out of embarrassment, Ukai ordered two burgers.

"So how did that blind date go?" Ukai asked out of the blue.

Akari stiffened, but pretended that she was just sipping her coffee. "The guy turned out to be a colleague. I can't date someone from work."

Ukai didn't seem happy or upset hearing that. "Better luck next time, then."

"Well, _this_ is my next time!" Akari grinned, but Ukai didn't buy it.

"I told you, I don't want to play games anymore," Ukai said, looking down at his fries.

"I'm not playing this time," Akari's voice softened. "I know that I've hurt you, and I'm sorry. I've just been… so lost ever since I moved to Tokyo."

Ukai raised his head to see Akari's desolate face. "But you stayed for eight years?"

"Out of stubbornness, I guess," Akari let out a short laugh. "Everything I did since my mom died was to be her. And when I got to where she stopped in life, my future became blurred. Pretty soon, I even lost myself."

Akari took a deep breath to keep herself composed, but the shaking of her fingers around her coffee cup gave her away.

"I came back to Miyagi after dropping out like a complete loser. But when I saw you, talked to you, touched you… I realized that you're the only thing in my life that I was sure about. I've always loved you, Keishin."

Ukai didn't know what was bigger, his shock or delight. The words he wanted to hear 8 years ago were finally spoken. But she just looked so sad.

"I couldn't bring myself to tell you because I don't know if I can be the Akari you deserve. I keep trying to be the Akari you loved back then, but it's getting harder and harder because… I don't know where I'm supposed to go in my life."

Akari stuffed almost half of the egg salad sandwich into her mouth to stop herself from continuing her embarrassing speech. She couldn't bring herself to look at Ukai's expression. All she heard was a soft sigh from across the table.

"You really aren't as smart as you were in high school."

Akari's shoulders twitched; the softness of his voice was inviting. She lifted her head to see a gentle smile on his face.

"What are you going on about what I deserve?" Ukai chuckled. "I want all sides of you, not just the happy and confident side."

A beautiful shade of blush washed over Akari's cheeks. Suddenly she felt as if a weight had been lifted and she was sitting on bubbles.

"And if you don't know where you're going… then just don't go anywhere," Ukai reached over and removed her hands that were stuffing the sandwich in her mouth. A smidgen of mayonnaise remained on the corner of Akari's mouth and she didn't seem to notice. "That is… if you don't mind staying with me in this tiny town."

Ukai's fingertips brushed over the corner of her mouth, wiping away the mayonnaise. Though having been touched by him many times before, this time it felt different. It wasn't the thrill of doing something when and where they weren't supposed to. It was the promise of love and acceptance.

Akari shut her eyes and opened them again. Inside Ukai Keishin's eyes, she found her safe place. It was a place where she could peacefully fall asleep in.

And yet, she was a little too happy to sleep.

"W-wait, Akari!"

Inside a McDonald's bathroom stall, Akari pressed herself against Ukai while his back pushed against the door. While Akari kissed Ukai hungrily, Ukai tried to gently push her away. It was definitely not their first time doing something like this in a bathroom stall, but a McDonald's was too public for Ukai's comfort. As much as he enjoyed Akari's aggressive kiss, he didn't exactly want to start their relationship this way.

"What? Do I taste like egg salad?" Akari licked her lips to check for any remnants of mayonnaise.

"No, it's not that!" Ukai blushed at Akari's moistened lips. "I just… have a little request."

"What?" Akari pulled her chest back, but her hands lingered around his neck.

"I don't want to just jump right back into our old routine," Ukai looked at Akari with seriousness. "I want to go on dates, not at a McDonald's. I want to make memories as a couple, have anniversaries, and I want you to stay over at my place, not just leave after the sex."

Akari blinked at Ukai with her big eyes, then she bursted out into a fit of giggles. "Keishin, you sound like a main character in a _shoujo manga_!"

Ukai's face turned red like a cooked lobster. "Don't make fun of me! After all the times you hid from me, I think you owe me at least that!"

"Okay, okay, I'll gladly do all of it," Akari couldn't help but give his reddened cheek a big smooch.

Unable to hold back after seeing Akari's mischievous smile, Ukai claimed her lips again with his own. He could tell that her smile was true. It reminded him of that playfulness she had when she was seventeen. And now, it was even more beautiful, knowing what she'd been through.

Needless to say, eight years was worth the wait.

* * *

The Sendai Sports Center was crowded with reporters and Miyagi's volleyball enthusiasts on this special Saturday morning. It was the InterHigh championship's final match between the current reigning champion, Shiratorizawa Academy, and the underdog, Karasuno High School.

Walking up and down the hallways with a bouquet of flowers, Oniwa Akari was not only lost, but feeling really out of sorts at such a large sporting event. Nonetheless, she promised Ukai that she'd go to his games. It just so happened that the game that came up on her day off was only the most important one of them all. Plus, it didn't help her find Karasuno's side of the stadium when the entire place seemed to be filled with supporters of Shiratorizawa.

"Oniwa-sensei?"

Akari turned at the call of her name. Down the hallway was Saitou Akira with Shiratorizawa's infamous volleyball coach beside him, and the highly esteemed volleyball team behind him. A certain redhead tiptoed up from the group to look at her. Akari's eyes narrowed cautiously when she met eyes with the redhead, Tendou Satori.

"Oh? Did you come to cheer for me, Oniwa-sensei?" Tendou asked loudly, causing his teammates to look at him with curiosity.

"Don't talk like that to your elder!" Saitou scolded, knowing that Tendou had been bothering Akari during school hours.

"It's so hard to think of Oniwa-sensei as my elder since she's so young and cute," Tendou didn't plan to stop teasing.

"Tendou, don't tell me…" a boy with messy, ash blonde hair gave Tendou a sideway glare. "Our school nurse is the cute girl you've been talking nonstop about?"

"Busted!" Tendou sang. "I was right though, wasn't I, Semi?"

"You're disgusting, Tendou," Semi rolled his eyes at him.

"Cut it out, Tendou!" The elderly coach barked at the snickering redhead. "Do you want me to remove you from this game?"

"Tendou," Ushijima, well-known in the Miyagi prefecture, stepped in as the captain. "Apologize to Oniwa-sensei."

"Fine, fine, sorry!" Tendou skipped to the front of the group and bowed deeply at Akari, though his eyes still peered up at her playfully. "I still like you, though!"

"Tendou!"

"It's all right, you guys," Akari smiled and gestured for Tendou to straighten up. "I know that Tendou-kun is _only joking._ "

The curls at the corners of Tendou's lips dropped slightly at Akari's deliberate intonation. He tried looking into Akari's eyes, but she was only giving him a smile similar to his own. Then, he looked down at the bouquet in Akari's hands, and he knew that he'd lost the game.

"Sorry about all of this, Oniwa-sensei," Saitou apologized to Akari again. "If you're looking for the reserved viewing area for Shiratorizawa faculty, it's down this hallway through Entrance B."

"Oh, um…" Akari's eyes darted guiltily. "I'm looking for… Karasuno's side…"

"Eh?"

An awkward silence befell them. Assuming that Karasuno's side was the opposite of this hallway, Akari decided that it was best to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. She backed away slowly.

"Please don't tell the principal; I still need this job!" Akari bowed toward Saitou and turned at her heels.

"Aren't you a bit cocky to buy flowers for a losing team?" Tendou said suddenly without a hint of humor in his voice.

Akari stopped in her tracks. She turned back just enough to see Tendou's narrowed eyes scrutinizing her. She found it a little funny; even in high school, she thought crushes were childish. And yet, she now understood the feeling well.

"Maybe, but my boyfriend's a great coach," Akari smiled mischievously. "And you shouldn't underestimate his team!"

Turning away for the last time, Akari hurried down the halls.

"Tendou, time for warm-up," Ushijima said to Tendou, oblivious of the latter's mood.

Tendou stared after Akari until she was out of his field of view. Though it wasn't as if he was rejected, watching Akari's back left a bitter feeling in his chest. Perhaps it was only because he wouldn't be able to play around with her anymore. It was a little disappointing, but at least, he was going to graduate high school in a few months, and there would be more interesting girls to meet in college.

This time, he'd admit defeat to Oniwa Akari. But definitely not to Karasuno High School.

* * *

Akari could still feel her heart beating heavily as she stood by the main entrance of the sports center. The game had been finished for a while, and many of the audience had left the building, but she was still thinking about the amazing game that was played by both teams. Evidently, the Shiratorizawa students sobbing as they exited the building shared the same amount of emotional impact as her.

Never in her life did she imagine herself being moved to tears during a sports game. It was partly due to the thought of how much she'd missed out when Ukai was playing in high school. But when Ukai shouted out in the middle of the game, it struck a chord inside Akari.

" _Volleyball is a sport where you are always looking up!"_

While Ukai had always been an attractive guy, that was probably the coolest Akari had ever seen him. He seemed so dependable as he encouraged those kids to play their best, even when the odds were against them.

That was the kind of guy she could stick with forever.

"Ah, it's Miss Nurse!"

When the Karasuno Boys Volleyball Team walked out of the building, it was Yachi Hitoka who first saw Akari standing to the side of the doorway. Ukai turned his head, and his cheeks flushed when he laid eyes on the bouquet of flowers.

"Hey, hey, Demon-oneesan!" Nishinoya jumped up and down, as if he didn't just play an exhausting volleyball match. "Did you see us win that one?!"

"Who are you calling 'oneesan?'" Oniwa Karin, who was latching onto her boyfriend, rolled her eyes at Nishinoya. "She's _my_ sister."

"Congratulations, you guys!" Akari said to the team. "I'm glad no one got hurt this time!"

Akari winked at Sawamura, who then scratched his head bashfully. Seeing this, Ukai stepped in front of Akari and took away the bouquet of flowers. Akari smiled at the little pout he wore on his face.

"I'm not sure if flowers are the best gift to give to a man," Ukai mumbled, but he couldn't hide the happiness in his voice very well.

"Would you have preferred a diamond ring instead?" Akari grinned.

Ukai's face burned.

"Wait! What's going on? Are Coach and Demon-oneesan going out?!" Nishinoya exclaimed.

"No way! She's way out of Coach's league!" Tanaka shouted as well.

"Shut up, Tanaka!" Ukai fumed and waved his fist at the second year player. "Keep talking and I take back the offer for that celebratory dinner!"

A bout of complaints erupted from the volleyball team. Akari laughed; being with a bunch of high schoolers had really kept Ukai young at heart. She hoped that some of it would rub off on her eventually. But for now, she was happy with the way things were.

Akari caught Ukai's waving hand in hers, and he glanced back at her.

"Come on, Keishin," she said softly. "Let's go."

Ukai finally smiled back at her. With a twist of the wrist, he wrapped her hand in his tightly. Motioning for the team to follow behind him, they moved forward. The team cheered and followed them to dinner.

Akari's footsteps were light as feathers. As they walked in the soft light of the sunset, Akari knew that she was no longer lost.

She was exactly where she needed to be.

* * *

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this fic! I certainly enjoyed writing it, so I hope this was enjoyable for you too. As for future Haiyuu! fics I plan on writing... I have lots of ideas, but so far I'm only outlining an Iwaizumi/OC fic. Hopefully the fic will see the light of day some time this year lol. Anyway, thank you again for reading!


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